* [Host] When I wrote my first barbecue book, Wagyu was an obscure cattle breed from Japan.

Today, it's everywhere, from restaurant menus to online butcher shops, across America and around the world.

Get ready for a sumptuous Japanese A5 Wagyu rib-eye with sesame salt and grilled rice cakes.

The outside is crusty; the inside is buttery.

It melts on your tongue like a snowflake.

Oversized Wagyu steak tomahawks with fire-roasted marrow.

What I love about this, the smoke flavor from the oak, that little pop of brightness from the celery seed.

And Wagyu smashburgers with Parmesan crisps.

There's so many layers of texture and flavor.

From St. Louis Union Station, I'm Steven Raichlen, and this is Project Fire .

(fire swooshes in) [Announcer] Steven Raichlen's Project Fire is made possible by...

This is the Big Green Egg where fire and flavor come together.

You can roast, bake, and sear with the versatility of a grill, oven, and barbecue smoker combined.

Locate a dealer at biggreenegg.com.

Fire Magic, combining style with a versatility to sear, smoke, rotisserie cook, and charcoal grill.

Crafted in America for over 80 years.

Green Mountain pellet grills built for woodfired versatility.

Truly wireless temperature starts with Maverick.

Crowd Cow.

And by the following... * [Steven] Wagyu, "Japanese cow" literally, refers to several century-old cattle breeds in Japan.

Wagyu are renowned for their tender meat and hyper-rich intramuscular marbling.

The highest Japanese ranking is A5, meat so extraordinarily well-marbled it looks like white lace over a red tablecloth, and can fetch a price of $300 per steak.

Famous Kobe beef comes from Kobe in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture.

All Kobe beef is Wagyu, but not all Wagyu is Kobe.

In fact, less than one percent of all the beef in Japan can be labeled Kobe.

In the 1970s, a few Wagyu steers arrived in the United States and Australia, where they were bred with local cattle varieties.

American Wagyu can be intensely well-marbled and luscious.

The price varies with its pedigree and bloodline.

(fire swooshes in) * A5 Wagyu from Japan is to beef what the Sistine Chapel is to art, the pinnacle of animal husbandry and the human pursuit of perfection.

Meat this rich requires a special way to grill it.

* This is an American Wagyu strip steak, and this is an American filet mignon.

If you were to see them in a butcher store, you would think they look delicious.

However, when you compare American Wagyu with genuine Japanese A5 Wagyu, well, the difference is night and day.

To start, I'll prepare a roasted sesame salt.

To a hot, dry skillet, add coarse sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, white sesame seeds, and black sesame seeds.

Roast this mixture until fragrant and the white sesame seeds begin to brown.

You can see smoke rising from the toasted sesame seeds.

Great roasted aroma.

So, there's your serving salt.

For the A5 Wagyu steaks, I'm using a New York strip and two strip loins, so I will season them with coarse sea salt.

When you grill an A5 Wagyu steak, you don't wanna work on a conventional grill grate, otherwise all that delicious fat will melt out and very likely cause a fire.

Instead, grill on a plancha, a heated slab of iron.

Grilling time is 3-4 minutes per side.

(fire swooshes in) Once, the steaks are browned on the bottom, just turn them over.

* And to check for doneness, just a little poke, the barest yield.

These are ready.

Keep the steaks warm on the upper rack until you're ready to serve.

* To serve with the Wagyu steaks, I'll grill up some onigiri, Japanese rice cakes.

These are simply cakes of sticky rice.

Arrange them on the plancha.

This is a great way to take advantage of all that delicious A5 Wagyu steak fat.

Once, the rice cakes are browned on the bottom, turn them over and grill the other side the same way.

Cooking time, pretty quick, a couple of minutes per side will do it.

(fire swooshes in) * Can't wait to dive into these.

So, I'll take a piece of the rib-eye.

* Then, a strip loin.

Finally, an onigiri.

Let's see how we did.

Mmm, this is like beef channeling butter.

The outside is crusty, the inside is buttery.

It melts on your tongue like a snowflake.

Now, let's try the strip loin.

Mmm.

Again, that same rich, buttery umami flavor.

Little bit more consistency to this steak.

I'll try a sprinkle of the sesame salt.

* We certainly don't need the sesame salt, but I like the nutty accent it adds.

* Mmm, crunchy on the outside, and I love the way the rice has absorbed the Wagyu beef fat.

So yes, it's extravagant, yes, it's expensive, and even if you could afford to eat it every day, you wouldn't want to because it's so unabashedly rich.

But for a special occasion, there is nothing like an A5 Wagyu steak.

* While, scrolling through Instagram recently, I came across a drop-dead gorgeous image of beef tomahawks created by Chef David Olson of Live Fire Republic.

David, welcome to Project Fire .

[David Olson] I couldn't be more excited to be here today.

We have an incredible cook.

[Steven] I hope it involves these guys.

[David] It certainly does, and I couldn't be more excited about this.

It's 36 ounces each... [Steven] Ooh.

[David] ...of Wagyu tomahawk steaks we're gonna prepare in an Argentinian reverse sear style with these beautiful roasted bone marrowbones.

[Steven] That sounds spectacular.

* [David] We're gonna begin by seasoning these marrowbones with this beautiful Italian olive oil, we're simply gonna drizzle on top, and then we're gonna go in with Kosher salt.

[Steven] Mm-hmm (affirmative).

[David] Followed by black peppercorn.

And now, we're gonna season liberally into these marrowbones.

We're gonna create a depth of flavor that's specific to Argentina.

Now, we spoon in the minced garlic.

And Steven, we're just gonna finish these marrowbones with the herbes de Provence.

[Steven] Okay, so herbes de Provence, let's see, there's rosemary, oregano, fennel seeds for sweetness, and even lavender flowers.

[David] So... [Steven] Very aromatic.

[David] So beautiful.

Next up is we're gonna take these seasoned marrowbones and we're gonna place them in cast iron.

[Steven] Why cast iron?

[David] We're gonna use the cast iron, so as we're roasting those marrowbones and we're rendering out all of those beautiful fats, we're gonna collect the pan drippings that are gonna be used at a later period of time.

[Steven] David, I have to say that looks great.

[David] We have the grill set up for indirect cooking, and what that means is we have the two outside burners turned on, the center burner is off.

We're gonna take this cast iron dish and set it right in the middle.

Steven, we're gonna close the grill lid to hold in the heat.

We're preparing at about 350 degrees, it's gonna take about 25 to 30 minutes.

It's gonna be golden, beautiful, and delicious.

(fire swooshes in) [Steven] David, when we were talking about this, we thought we'd kind of do a little steak and potato thing.

[David] Yeah.

[Steven] So for potatoes, I have organic sweet potatoes, and then, uh, a vegetable that I think doesn't get enough play on the grill, parsnip.

It has a wonderful earthy sweet flavor.

And then, we'll break a head of garlic into cloves, and add the cloves in their skins, so we get sort of a gentle garlic flavor.

Next, we will season the parsnips and sweet potatoes with coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and we can cut pats of butter on top, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

[David] Let's get it on the grill.

It's time to prepare the steaks.

[Steven] Let's do it.

[David] And the first step with the tomahawks is gonna be tying them down, and we're using butcher's twine.

Now, what I'm gonna do is, I'm gonna start on the fat cap end here, the spinalis of the steak, and I'm gonna wrap up towards the bone, come under and over.

Now, the next one, I'm gonna come up, go over and under.

[Steven] Mm-hmm (affirmative).

[David] I'm gonna roll the steak back around here to the side, and on the fat cap, I'm gonna do a double twist, and then a traditional knot.

And now, what this is gonna do is really going to allow us to cook evenly and the presentation is going to be beautiful.

[Steven] Fantastic.

[David] Next up.

* [Steven] That is a great technique.

[David] Look at the size of those things, how incredible are those?

[Steven] Yeah.

Well, two for you, two for me, right?

(laughs) [David] One for each hand.

(laughs) So here, we have our olive oil again.

I'm just going to season these beautifully with olive oil, and I'm gonna brush these in on all sides.

* Steven, we're gonna season these first with celery salt.

[Steven] Mm-hmm (affirmative).

[David] Now, celery salt is incredibly beautiful, and you'll notice these are very large hunks of meat, so I'm gonna season it liberally.

We then next go to the granulated garlic, and then we're going to pop in the granulated onion, and we're gonna finish with a heavy dose of black... [Steven] Black pepper.

[David] ...pepper.

[Steven] Of course.

[David] Coarsely ground.

So we'll flip these over... [Steven] Yep.

[David] ...and we're gonna do the same thing on the other side.

* One for each hand.

(laughs) (fire swooshes in) [Steven] (laughs) Thirty minutes, I imagine the marrow and veggies are done.

Oh.

[David] Wow.

Look at the color on those, how beautiful is that, Steven?

[Steven] That is great.

[David] How amazing is that?

[Steven] Yeah.

That is so primal.

I've gotta just take a... [David] Wow.

[Steven] Melts in your mouth.

Fantastic.

[David] Now, the next step with these steaks is the reverse sear.

[Steven] We'll pull out this fuel drawer.

[David] We have a log of oak wood...we're gonna be using.

This is gonna add a beautiful bit of smokiness over the direct portion of the grill.

[Steven] I call smoke the umami of barbecue.

[David] All right, perfect.

[Steven] Good.

[David] Now, we have these beautiful tomahawks already seasoned up, and I'm simply gonna take them and place them over the indirect, cooler grill grates.

[Steven] Okay.

[David] You can still hear that sizzle.

Isn't it incredible?

[Steven] Yep.

So, we'll bring these up to what, about 100 degrees, 110?

[David] About a 110 degrees is what we're gonna prepare these steaks up to, and it's gonna be done nice and slow.

[Steven] Great.

[David] Now, the initial slow cook is just complete, about 45 minutes to prepare 'em up to 110 degrees of internal temperature.

It's time to turn up the grill to high heat, and let's get our sear moving.

[Steven] Great.

Set the knobs high heat on both sides?

[David] High heat on both sides.

[Steven] Okay.

[David] We're simple gonna grab it by the bone, and now we're gonna go to a process of quickly flipping and turning the steaks.

[Steven] Okay.

[David] Every 15 to 20 seconds, we're gonna be flipping and turning, and what this is gonna do is help us elevate up the internal temperature of the steak to its prepared temperature of 125, but we're gonna develop that rich crust.

[Steven] David, this is really interesting because, you know, what I love about grilling, it's an interactive sport, it's a dance from hot spots to not-so-hot spots.

[David] And Steven, what I tell people about this method of cooking, there's nothing that makes anyone feel more important on the grill than consistently working over the grill.

[Steven] You bet.

[David] So, it's almost the exact opposite of barbecuing.

[Steven] That's right, barbecue you sort of set it and forget it, this is constant attention.

[David] This is a high-impact... [Steven] Oh, I love this.

[David] ...contact sport.

[Steven] Yeah, very cool technique.

* Ooh.

[David] There we go.

[Steven] Great.

[David] There's nothing wrong with a little fire.

[Steven] High drama.

[David] Project Fire out here (Steven laughs) * [David] I think, we're right about there.

It's probably time to grab the thermometer and check for temp.

[Steven] What are you looking for?

[David] A hundred and twenty-five degrees.

[Steven] Bingo.

[David] Perfect.

Now, these steaks are set out to rest.

It's a long wait, but... [Steven] (laughs) [David] ...it's gonna be well worth the while.

[Steven] Okay.

(fire swooshes in) [David] The steaks have been resting for about 5-7 minutes.

[Steven] Mm-hmm (affirmative), mm-hmm (affirmative).

[David] And this bone marrow is finished, rested, beautiful, but as you can see, the bone marrow is angled into the pan because... [Steven] All of the, melted marrow gathers at the bottom.

[David] So, what we're gonna do is we're gonna tilt the pan up, we're gonna collect that... [Steven] Ah.

Ah.

[David] ...beautiful roasted bone marrow butter that's sitting now down at the bottom of the pan.

It's time to cut into these steaks.

Are you ready?

[Steven] Born ready.

(chuckles) [David] (laughs) Simply gonna hold the bone directly up, and we're going just along the... [Steven] Ouf.

[David] How incredible is that?

[Steven] Wow.

[David] And I'm carving on a bias, about half-inch slices.

[Steven] David, those look absolutely gorgeous, perfectly cooked.

[David] Let me serve you up a couple of these center cuts right from the rib eye, and... [Steven] Thank you.

[David] ...we're gonna finish it with just a bit of additional celery salt on top.

[Steven] All right.

And the marrow bone.

[David] I'm gonna give you two marrow bones.

[Steven] Two marrow bones.

[David] (laughs) There you are.

[Steven] Excellent.

And let me return the favor, some parsnips and sweet potatoes.

So, first let's try your steak.

Mmm...oh...my.

Oh, my.

[David] We're going for a dark, rich crust around the exterior of that steak... [Steven] We sure have that.

[David] ...with a wall-to-wall medium-rare perfection, and that's what that flip technique allows for us to do.

[Steven] What I love about this, David, the smoke flavor from the oak, that little pop of brightness from the celery seed.

I don't use celery seed enough, I'm gonna start using it more.

And the marrow.

* I call marrow beef butter, you know?

[David] It's marrow beef butter.

[Steven] It's like it's got the consistency of butter, but that beefy flavor that goes fantastic with the steak.

[David] It's just delicious.

* The parsnips and the carrots are wonderfully cooked.

They're tender, they're sweet, and it's a wonderful complement here to what we've done with the steaks.

[Steven] Steak and potatoes.

David, your grilling is as beautiful as your social media images.

Thank you for joining us.

[David] Well, thank you so much.

I've so long admired your work, and it was a privilege to work over the fire with you here.

[Steven] Ah.

* A genuine A5 Wagyu steak from Japan is an unabashed extravagance.

A beef tomahawk will make a serious dent in your wallet.

But there is a way to enjoy the buttery, rich flavor of Wagyu without busting your budget.

I give you the Wagyu smash burger.

* Start with 24 ounces of Wagyu ground beef.

Put on your nitrile gloves, then divide the beef into four sections.

Take a quarter of the beef and form it into a four-inch patty.

* And I kind of form the beef into rough patties to start, then moisten your fingers to smooth the patties out.

* Rest the burgers in the refrigerator for one hour to firm up the meat.

(fire swooshes in) Next, make the Parmesan cheese crisps.

Line a plancha with a piece of parchment paper.

Place a circular form on the parchment paper, and add a couple tablespoons of freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

* I've set up the grill for indirect grilling and heated it to medium-high.

Place the plancha with the cheese crisps in the center of the grill, close the lid, and cook the Parmesan crisps until golden brown.

(fire swooshes in) Once, the cheese crisps are golden brown, pull the whole parchment paper off and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Next, make the prosciutto bacon.

Brush four thin slices of prosciutto with extra virgin olive oil.

Turn the prosciutto over and brush the other side the same way.

Lay the prosciutto slices on the hot plancha, and the prosciutto will crisp like bacon.

Twenty to 30 seconds per side will do it.

* Once, the prosciutto is crisped, transfer it to a wire rack to cool.

* Here's your prosciutto bacon.

Meanwhile, the Parmesan crisps have cooled, and they come off the parchment paper easily.

* Now for the special sauce, because every burger needs a special sauce.

It starts with mayonnaise, then add Dijon mustard, ketchup for sweetness, steak sauce for tang, horseradish for bite, and diced cornichon pickles for crunch.

Whisk the ingredients together.

* I'll take a taste.

Mmm...wow, tangy and hot.

(fire swooshes in) Here are the Wagyu burgers after one hour of chilling.

Season the smash burgers on both sides with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

* We have a hot plancha, we have our seasoned burgers, so arrange the burgers on the hot plancha, grill the burgers until the bottoms are brown.

This will take about 3-4 minutes.

* (fire swooshes in) Once, the burgers are browned on the bottom, turn them over.

* Now, using a burger press or skillet, flatten the burgers.

* The burgers are cooking in all that luscious, buttery Wagyu fat.

(fire swooshes in) Once, the burgers are crusty and brown on the bottom, transfer them to a wire rack.

* Now, grill the buns on the plancha.

These are brioche burger buns.

Once, the buns are toasted, transfer them to the rack with the burgers.

Now, watch how it all goes together.

First, take a bottom bun, spread it with special sauce, place a lettuce leaf on the bun.

This will keep the burger juices from making the bottom bun soggy.

Then, add your smash burger, a tomato, some prosciutto bacon, your Parmesan crisp, and place the grilled top bun on top.

* And that, my friends, is a smashburger, the buttery richness of Wagyu beef without busting the budget.

Let's see how we did.

Mmm, this is outrageous.

First the burger, crusty on the outside thanks to smashing on the plancha, with that buttery Wagyu richness inside.

The crispy prosciutto, the crunchy Parmesan disc, the sweet, tangy sauce, the toasted bun, there's so many layers of texture and flavor.

So now, you know, the secrets of Wagyu beef, from extravagant A5 Wagyu, to mammoth beef tomahawks, to ground Wagyu beef burgers that anyone can afford.

Thanks for watching, see you next time.

[Announcer] For recipes and more live fire cooking, visit stevenraichlen.com.

You can also follow Steven Raichlen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

"Project Fire" and the Classic "Barbecue Bible" can be ordered online at stevenraichlen.com or call this phone number for ordering and customer service.

Steven Raichlen's Project Fire was made possible by...

This is the Big Green Egg where fire and flavor come together.

You can roast, bake, and sear with the versatility of a grill, oven, and barbecue smoker combined.

Locate a dealer at biggreenegg.com.

Fire Magic, combining style with a versatility to sear, smoke, rotisserie cook, and charcoal grill.

Crafted in America for over 80 years.

Green Mountain pellet grills built for woodfired versatility.

Truly wireless temperature starts with Maverick.

Crowd Cow.

And by the following... [David] Oh, sorry.

[Steven] I just wanna announce this is the first time... [David] (laughs).

[Steven] ...in 10 days of shooting that I am actually not cold.

[David] (laughs).

[Steven] David, your grilling is as beautiful as your social media... Blah, blah, blah.

Wh...which I think is sort of a newschool way... [David] (laughs) Sorry.

[Steven] ...of cooking, uh, steaks.

[David] The smoke is all in my face.

[Steven] Okay.

[David] I kind of feel guilty here sitting and eating all this in front of the crew that's filming, but (laughing).

[Steven] (laughs) They're used to it.

Fi...first, the... First, the... First the burger, crusting the... Let's do it again.

* *